Red-Hot Denial
by thisgirlcalledD
Summary: She raises her head defiantly, staring right at the screen where she knows they are watching. She has no idea why she's in here, of course. But the idea that her team – her family – has put her in a place meant for criminals chills her to the very bone.


Hello! Just to give you a head's up, I was in a bit of a dark mood when writing this. It's nothing too extreme, but there are some themes and implications I think would not be good for, say... more young / inexperienced readers. (?) And yes, I know that last sentence sounded kind of iffy but I did NOT write anything relatively close to smutt, you pervert. :P

Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Sorry for any spelling/grammatical mistakes and/or errors that you find in this. I was quite tired and didn't feel like editing.

* * *

When she wakes up, she's sitting in a chair, arms and legs securely tied so she has no way to escape. Her head pounding, she looks around the bare room and dully notes the large black-out window. She's been in these types of rooms before – back when she was a snot-nosed brat in police custody every other week.

"…What the hell?"

"You're awake." Artemis doesn't bother to find the source of where Batman's voice is coming from. Hell, if the Justice League can have a headquarters stationed in _space_ then they can damn sure have hidden sound systems.

Ever the snark, Artemis is about to respond with a "Good morning to you, too" but wisely shuts her mouth. Given her current situation, and the fact that the chair is supremely uncomfortable, she decides that a more forward approach would be the best way to go. "Why am I tied to a chair?"

Behind the screen Batman gestures to Aqualad, and as he opens his mouth to speak, Batman takes a step back.

"Artemis, do you remember the last mission that was assigned to us? Our goal?"

"Maybe I'll remember something when you get me out of questioning." She's been in situations like this too many times to count. Besides, with a background like hers you have to know how to play your cards right.

Kaldur's voice rings out loud and clear. "It'd be in your best interests to cooperate fully, Artemis."

She raises her head defiantly, staring right at the screen where she knows they are watching. She has no idea why she's in here, of course. But the idea that her team – her family – has put her in a place meant for criminals chills her to the very bone.

"Artemis." An eyebrow rises for a quick second once Dick says her name. Why is he here? Who else is there? "Artemis, please. _Talk_."

Like saying "please" will make her say anything. If it'd been that easy people would have known her secrets ages ago. But her conscious – the thing that irritates her most at times like this – notes the desperate key in his voice and she sighs in defeat. _Dammit._ "…Yeah. We were doing recon on a new drug that was being sold on the black market. Gather a sample and leave. Simple."

Artemis thinks she hears someone – Conner? – in the background mutter "It was supposed to be…**.**"

"Do you remember anything else?"

"Should I?" She fires right back. No, it's not some ploy; it's the honest-to-god truth.

A silence ensues; one that, she's sure, involves skeptical glances and hidden gestures. She's about to ask what's going on and what are they talking about _and why is she tied to a chair_, but Miss Martian's frail voice beats her to it and breaks the silence.

"Artemis, on the mission we encountered some trouble." She's saying, so fast Artemis can barely catch her words. "The mission was compromised and reinforcements came – one of which was Sportmaster–"

"Whoa, wait. _What? _My da- Sportmaster showed up?"

"He did, but–."

"–But he was secured."

Artemis ponders on this. Finally. Finally, after all the crimes he's committed and all the people he's hurt, they've caught him. But will they be able to _keep_ him caught? _Will he allow himself to be caught?_ "Oh." Artemis finally mumbles. Because really, there's nothing else for her to say. Then, louder, she says, "Well that's great. The mission was a success. Now time for you to answer my question. Would anyone care to tell me _why I am tied to a chair?"_

"You don't–"

"Stop it."

Behind the screen all eyes shift to the back of the room. Wally is leaning against the wall with a hard expression on his face. Artemis, on the other hand, can't believe he's been here – been deadly quiet - the whole time.

"Excuse me?" Batman asks, his tone an indication of his not being pleased at being cut off.

"I _said_," Wally repeats, giving Batman a nasty glare of his own, "_stop it._ Stop walking in circles. Tell her the truth already. "

"I'll tell her the truth when I see fit." Nightwing shudders slightly at this. He heard that tone a lot lately. It's the tone Bruce uses when there's no room for argument – when his word is law.

Wally glowers at Batman, and the latter glares right back. Everyone stares, too shocked for words. Bruce, however, soon realizes that this little challenge is wasting precious time that could be spent solving the matter at hand. He swiftly turns away, and in that moment a small smirk curves Wally's lips and he speeds towards the door that leads to Artemis.

A small gasp escapes from M'gann.

"KF-!" Nightwing yells, intending to follow him, but the door abruptly closes in his face and he quickly realizes that Wally has no intention of letting anyone else inside.

"No, Nightwing." He declares, giving them a cold glare through the screen door. "_No. _Sugarcoating things isn't going to make her… _offense_ any less worse." He sets his cold gaze on Artemis, and she swears her spines shivers. "Sportsmaster wasn't '_secured_'. He was attacked_ – _actually, it looked more like he was _mauled_. Beaten to a bloody pulp by his own _daughter_."

Artemis makes a small choking sound – one that does not go unnoticed.

"That's right, Artemis. You did it." He strolls up to her, getting in her face as he says, "_You were the one who almost killed him!_"

"**Wally!**"

"What?!" He yells, whirling around and speeding so that he's back in front of Dick. "What do you suggest I do, Dick? (At this, Batman's jaw lock's.) You guys were prepared to do nothing! Maybe Batman would have done something – suspended her, cut her from the team, I don't know. But that wouldn't have been enough. Besides, what she did wasn't right. You and I – hell, everyone here knows that!"

"What makes you think you're the one to decide what's _right_ and what _isn't_?!" Dick rebuffs.

"Because I-!" Wally starts, but a strangled sound comes from behind him. They all turn around to see Artemis, her hands quivering and her disturbingly keen stare on Wally.

"W-what… What do you mean I…almost k-k-killed him?" Her voice breaks on the last syllable. She looks down, a cold-sweat starting to break out on her temples.

In that moment no one can even stomach the sight of Wally.

To everyone's surprise (though in hindsight they really shouldn't be surprised) Conner is the one who decides to rip the band-aid off. "You shot an arrow straight through his spine. It shattered, Artemis. He should have died right there and then, but somehow he managed to stay alive long enough for us to get him to one of the doctor's at the watchtower. It should be impossible, but he'll live… but he'll never be able to move. The only functioning part of his body is his head."

_I almost killed him_? But that can't be right. Artemis didn't kill. Not anymore. She left that life behind back when her mother first came home after her jail sentence. Besides, even if she did try to kill him – which she _didn't_ – it'd be impossible. She'd never, ever gotten one up on him. It was always her that was left a mess of emotional and physical damage, always left bloody in both body and soul.

In a far-away voice, she whispers, "You're lying."

"Artemis, we would not lie to you about something as dire as this." Kaldur quietly reprimanded.

"**You're lying!** There's no possible way that I…" She says, and because she doesn't finish the sentence, she knows she's lying. They all do. So instead she says, in a broken voice, "I… it's true that I could hurt him. But I wouldn't. I swore that I wouldn't do anything other than apprehend my enemies. And killing him… I could never do that." _Because then I'd be just like him._

"But you did." Wally mumbles, so quietly that almost no one notices.

Almost.

"I didn't."

"You almost did."

"_Where's your proof, hot shot?!_" She retorts, sending Kid Flash a glare so searing the rest of the lot can't help but be a bit more afraid than questioning.

But Wally, never being one to take a cue and always being one to rise to a challenge, explodes. "Proof?!" He yells. "You want to see proof? Fine!"

He runs somewhere, and in a second he's back next to her, throwing a bloody arrow and a file at her feet.

"WALLY!" The team yells.

"Restrain him." Batman grunts, and Superboy gladly does just that.

"I trusted you!" Wally yells as he struggles to get out of Superboy's hold. "I told you that you had nothing to prove!" Not expecting Wally to put up this much of a fight, Superboy's eyes frantically turn to Kaldur and they soon restrain him. "_How could you do this?!_"

"Shut up, Wally! For the love of God,_**shut up!**_" Dick yells, while Miss Martian cringes violently from the mental turmoil going in in the small space.

It's hers. The arrow is definitely hers. But the blood… whose is it? And why is it drenched on her arrow? Never has she seen that much blood on one of her prized possessions. Maybe during one of her missions with her dad, when she had to kill–

_No…_

She remembers it then. The memories she so stubbornly tried to block come flooding back like water from a dam being let loose, chaos in its stead.

_The deep, vicious grunt of pain should be enough to bring Artemis back to reality, but it's not. Not even ten feet in front of her, she sees her arrow sticking out of him. She can hardly recognize it, what with his blood – the fact that it's red makes her want to throw up. Red blood is human blood, and he is most certainly not human, not in her eyes – covering most of it. _

"_Artemis!"_

_Amongst the yells and brash noise, she vaguely registers her team's voices. They sound worried and frantic – but it's not enough to stop her. She realizes that this is her chance to take him down (in the back of her mind, the part that makes her have nightmares, she knows that she'll be able to take him down for good), and before he's even fallen she's on him, punching him with bloody fists and kicking with almost enough force to shatter his skull - almost. She doesn't want his suffering to end that quick – not when he's made her suffer for __**years.**__ She's fisting the arrow now, pulling it out of him – god, she has to frame this thing – when she hears a low, guttural sound coming from him. It takes her a second to recognize that he's chuckling._

"_What'd I… tell you, baby girl...?" He groans. He's turned his bloody head in her direction, smirking at her. His smug eyes are gleaming like he's won – not like he's just been stabbed clean through the back. "You can't fight… who you… __**are**__."_

… _It's just like him to know the exact words that'll make her snap. _

"_**NO!"**_

_Her vision clouded with red-hot intent, she shoves the arrow back in with all of her might. After she's satisfied with the painful yell that escapes from his lips, she roughly pulls the arrow out._

"_Aurgh!" _

_Blood is pooling on him – on her – everywhere._

_She's getting ready to stab him again when she feels arms around her. She sees the black spandex covering them and immediately starts yelling. "Nightwing, let me–" Suddenly she feels a hollow space in between her hands, and looks up to see her arrow 4 feet above her head. She sets her rage-induced glare on M'gann. "Why'd you -?!"_

_Enough Artemis, she hears in her head before she feels M'gann's presence in her mind and blacks out._

"…You remember it, don't you." KF says. They all know it's not a question.

"Kid Flash!" Aqualad warns.

Too bad Wally is way past the point of caring. "Why'd you do it, Artemis? He's your dad! He's your blood. _He's your fa –!_"

"_**Don't say it!**_" Everyone's faces slacken as they look to M'gann. Her eyes are glowing eerily green and she's floating 2 feet off the ground. "**Don't. Say it.** That man was never her family. A father? More like _a murder_!" She manages to say, voice cracked from her violent sobbing. "You have no idea what it was like, living with him. You have no idea what it's like to be left behind with a monster because you're too weak to be anything more than a burden! You have no idea what I've been through – all the people I've had to slay, all the lives I've had to hurt – just so that he would keep me alive for another day! What's wrong with wanting to hurt him? What's wrong with wanting to get revenge? He stole my mother's legs so I stole his body. And what's wrong with that?! Now he won't be able to help The Light. He won't be able to hurt anyone else ever again. He's one more villain that will never do harm ever again. So what if he has to suffer for the rest of his life? That's his punishment… I was just the one who finally gave it to him."

M'gann's eyes stop glowing and she sharply drops to the ground. "M'gann!" Connor starts, but Batman puts a firm hand on his shoulder and shakes his head. They all return their attention to Artemis, who's body is convulsing while she weeps. No one can say – or rather, no one knows _what_ to say. It's obvious that those words were not owned by M'gann, and they have no idea what to say that will make the situation any less disastrous.

Eventually when she composes herself and has just settled for sniveling, someone mumbles, "Artemis…"

She returns all of their gazes then. She looks into each and every pair of eyes with a morbid outlook as she brokenly states, "I don't know what's worse… The fact that he's still alive, or the fact that, after everything I achieved – after everything I did to prove him wrong, he was still right."

* * *

Before you say anything, I'd just like to point out that yes, I know Wally would never react this way towards Artemis in canon. Spitfire has too strong of a bond for that. But I felt that this story required a more unbiased Wally. Wally is good-natured towards most people, but in the show he's more critical of Artemis than anyone else. The show (I feel) also portrayed him as the type of person who judges a book by it's cover, whether it be people or (in this case) crimes. Furthermore, we all know Wally is hard-headed and impulsive most of the time. So again, in this story I felt it better that Wally "play the villain", so to speak.


End file.
